Twice Daley

I was going to call this the “Daley Double,” as in two posts. Get it? Instead I’m going to use a nickname some schmo gave me when I worked as a waiter some 25 years ago. So, Spring is in the air, and an young man’s thoughts turn to love, right? Yeah, whatever. There’s no love in sight for me, so I’m thinking about art. Tomorrow Kyle and “Twice” Daley are meeting some folks at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum for some art n’ stuff.

I recently read a nice little article by Samar Farah, a Boston Globe correspondent, on how to get more out of the art museum experience, and for you fortunate readers, here’s a summary.

Wow. In an incredibly ironic twist, Mr. Farah interviewed Alan Chong, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s curator of collection! Maybe we’ll see Al tomorrow! Anyway, Mr. Chong’s big theme is to simply enjoy the time. “Don’t turn a trip to a museum into serious education.” He believes the experience should be more about what you feel and think while viewing the art, rather than the historical facts about it. So take your time, relax and just gaze. Think about the pieces you like and the ones you don’t. Mr. Farah’s article suggests you ask yourself these questions:

• Why do I like this?
• Why is my eye drawn to certain shapes or forms?
• Why has the museum placed this painting next to these mosaics (or other work)?

Mr. Chong, who’s favorite piece in the Gardner is “Death and Assumption of the Virgin,” adds, “It’s important to trust yourself. At the end of the day, it’s about your own eye, your own taste, your own set of questions.”